Bright Dawns
by ReaderinthePNW
Summary: Sarah finds herself with an incapacitated Jareth on her hands. What has happened to him, and what will the two of them do about it? Just what is in the cards for our favorite pair?
1. Chapter 1

Sarah struggled to keep her eyes open. It was so frustrating to have to sleep when she had so much else that she needed to be doing. Her heart ached inside of her chest… the only good thing in sleeping was her dreams. Being away from reality was so sweet.

She looked up as her stepmother wandered into the room with a lost look on her face.

"Mom, can I get you something?" Sarah sadly took in Karen's disheveled appearance and her hands that were fretfully sliding over the furniture.

"Yes, Robert told me that he… that he…" Karen's face convulsed as she tried to keep back the tears. She pressed her hands to her face, and took a deep breath. "Robert told me that he had some papers and things that we would need to go through, in his desk, but I didn't see them. Did you move them?"

Sarah nodded, rubbing her eyes sympathetically, forcing back the tears. "Yes, I have them right here." She held up the folder, which held so much thoughtfulness, detailed instructions on contacting his lawyer, on what questions to ask, what financial details needed to be straightened out, his final will… he had handled everything he could for them, had tried to save them as much pain as he could… but he couldn't save them from their mourning, and Sarah felt her own face crumple, dropping her head into her lap as she sobbed.

Karen sat down next to her, holding her tightly, her head pressed against Sarah's hair, crying with her. The two women had been living with the knowledge for six months that Robert William's days on earth were coming to an end, but the pain was so much worse now that he was gone, and the evidence of how much he had loved them, and that he wasn't there to love them anymore, was too much. They clung to each other, grieving.

* * *

A few hours later, after more crying, some tea, and a review of her father's papers, Sarah was finally ready to go to bed. She stepped into her younger brother's room, wanting to make sure that the anxious young man was asleep. She shadowed the tear streaks on his cheeks with her fingertips, her heart breaking for the ten year old who would have to grow up without his father.

She looked around the room to make sure that everything was quiet and where it should be, a nervous mannerism that she had picked up after their experience Underground. All was as still, and his room was in the chaotic state that she had come to expect, with his video games scattered on the floor, his clothes in a pile around his laundry hamper instead of inside it, and old worn out toys of earlier days all gathering dust on his shelves, including some incredibly detailed Lego-buildings and her old bear, Lancelot.

Sarah saw a small goblin, sans his usual helmet, sleeping in the shadow of Toby's bed. She smiled briefly, unworried, knowing that no one else ever seemed to see the multiple goblins that stayed with her, not even Toby, who had played with them so contentedly as a baby. She was happy that little Kippy had decided to guard her sleeping brother. Even if he had fallen asleep, too, on his self-appointed watch duty.

She left the room as quietly as she had entered, and then tiptoed to the guest room, where Karen had started sleeping two nights after her husband died, claiming that it hurt too much to sleep in their bed alone. Karen was curled into a ball, looking childlike and fragile, and so much like Toby. There was a bottle of aspirin on the nightstand, and there was a small lamp that was on the floor near the door. She too had managed to attach a goblin… it was Mops, who, like everyone else in the house besides Sarah, was sleeping, curled up between the wall and the nightstand. Sarah closed the door behind her, and finally, finally went down the hall a little ways until she had come to her own room.

She leaned her head against the door before opening it, steeling herself. She knew that Sir Didymus, and probably Hoggle, would both be waiting at the mirror for her. She appreciated having such good friends, but she really didn't want to deal with anyone at the moment. Especially not people who meant well, who cared. What she wanted was to go to sleep, and not wake up for several days. She wanted to wake up hearing her father downstairs starting the coffee maker for Karen, and slamming his suitcase into the side of his chair like he did _every_ morning.

Sarah drew away from her bedroom door, went back downstairs, and curled up on the couch, deciding to face her friends, and reality, in the morning.

* * *

Life after the death of Robert Williams was painful, but eventually steadied into a routine. Toby would go to school, and Karen would leave for work. Sarah would sleep in for another hour, and then clean up the house a bit before leaving for her own job, mostly writing grants and assisting in the office of the local college. She would come home to have dinner with Karen and Toby, and the three of them would read or work in the evenings. Every few weeks, Sarah would meet a friend for coffee or a movie, and she spoke with her friends from the Underground every other evening, almost. It was quiet, although never _too_ quiet, living with goblins as they did, but relatively quiet, and it was secluded, but it was just what they needed to heal.

After a few months, things started speeding up. Toby began to go over to his friends' homes after school more often, and Karen joined a book club. And Sarah went on the first date that she'd had since before she'd moved back in with her parents, three years ago.

* * *

Sarah and Brian had gone to high school together, but had lost touch after they graduated, and Sarah had moved to New York for college. Brian, who worked as a high school English teacher, was happy to renew the acquaintance, although Sarah found herself feeling… well, rather lukewarm. They sat opposite each other in a coffee shop, reminiscing about their school days.

"I remember that we had creative writing together with Ms. Standy. I'm so glad that I'm teaching across town, I don't think that I could have handled working with people who had been my teachers only five years before."

Brian handed her a black coffee, grinning as his fingers brushed hers. Sarah smiled at him, and took a sip. She choked as she saw a goblin dart beneath Brian's chair, but quickly cleared her throat, and smiled again, before answering.

"I think that was my favorite class through school. It was always so much more fun that writing timed essays on Ernest Hemingway." The two of them laughed together, and Brian tilted his head to catch her eye. Sarah didn't really notice, being preoccupied with the second goblin peering over the edge of the table at them.

"I remember our last two years, you had a theme. You wrote a ton of fantasy, about elves, and balls, and mazes. That was some of the best writing in the class."

Sarah's shoulders stiffened slightly. Brian now had her full attention.

"I'm surprised that you remember it so well." Her voice hadn't changed, but her face, like her shoulders, had stilled the slightest bit. She tried not to remember her time in the Labyrinth too clearly, these days. Well, that wasn't true, she still interacted with denizens of the Labyrinth every day. No, really, she tried not to remember the Goblin King too clearly. Talking casually about the experience, now, especially when she was trying not to notice the goblin stealing bites from her croissant, was not comfortable for her.

Brian repeated his remark about being impressed, and moved the conversation onto other topics. Sarah relaxed, the goblin (Getty) was slipped the last of her pastry, and the conversation flowed freely. When their coffee was finished, though, and another date requested, Sarah refused.

* * *

"How did it go?" Karen drew out the last word, smiling at Sarah as she came in through the front door.

A corner of Sarah's mouth tipped up, and she shrugged.

"Really, that's all I get?" Karen looked incredulous. "Did you not like him? Did it not go well?"

"No, he was fine, but we just didn't really click, you know?" Sarah tossed her purse on the table, and joined Karen on the sofa, wishing, err, _hoping_, that she wouldn't have to deal with too much of this.

Karen shook her head. "You know, Sarah, you've said that about the last few men that you went out with. That there was nothing wrong with them, that they seemed great, whatever, but that 'you just didn't click.' Maybe you've been meeting the wrong men. Or in the wrong places?"

Sarah became a little defensive. "Well, it's not like he was creepy or anything, he was really nice, actually. I just wasn't that attracted to him."

Karen gave her a hard look, but Toby bounced into the room at just the right moment, and instead of delivering a tedious monologue that Sarah had been hearing since she was fifteen, Karen instead switched gears, asking Toby about the fishing expedition that he had gone on that morning with his best friend. Sarah guiltily sneaked upstairs, feeling like she was a teenager again. But she didn't want to hear about how she was twenty five years old, and hadn't had a serious relationship. She knew, better than Karen, all about her lack of a love life. It wasn't something that she hadn't given serious thought to. It was just that she refused to compromise on her standards. Surely having high standards wasn't such a big deal?

_And what was so wrong with Brian,_ her mind piped up treacherously. _He was smart, entertaining, handsome, had a decent, secure job…_

Sarah kicked the voice to the back of her skull, and pulled out some papers that she wanted to look over before work on Monday, refusing to let the two impish, guilty looking goblins who were sneaking in through her closet distract her.

* * *

Unfortunately, Monday arrived all too soon. It didn't go quite the way that Sarah had planned, however. As usual, she was up and dressed a bit before nine, and was having a cup of tea and a bowl of cereal before driving to work. She had just put her bowl in the dishwasher when she heard loud bumping and cursing from upstairs… it sounded like… Hoggle?

Sarah ran up the stairs, opened the door to her room, and found a wet, miserable Hoggle, carrying in an awkward fireman's hold the clearly unconscious and equally bedraggled Jareth.

Sarah didn't waste time on useless gaping or hysterics. She immediately reached out to help Hoggle support Jareth, whose boots and long, wet hair were dragging on the ground. She tugged ineffectually on Jareth's arms before realizing how futile her efforts were.

Hoggle stepped forward, looking around tiredly before asking "Where's should I put him?"

Sarah looked around frantically for a goblin or two for back up, but found, as was frequently the case in the morning, that they were no where to be seen… presumably sleeping in. She backed up and led the way to her parent's unused room, and pulled down the covers on the broad four-poster. She stopped Hoggle from heaving him up on the bed.

"Wait, you're both soaked, we should get him dry first." Hoggle nodded agreement, but looked at her with a little hesitantly.

"He won't wake up…" his gravelly voice was worried.

"That's alright." Sarah's voice was firm. "Start getting his boots and clothes off, and I'll get a towel to dry him off with." She rose swiftly, stopping only to turn on the electric blanket before crossing into the master bath to grab several clean towels.

Hoggle struggled to pull Jareth's shirt over his head, nervous at being so close to his monarch, but knowing that Sarah had the right of it. He sighed in relief when Sarah came back into the room holding some fluffy blue bath towels. He let Sarah take over, watching her pull off the boots, the shirt, and finally, after biting her lips, his pants. She towel dried his hair, and chaffed his limbs and torso, before hefting Jareth onto the bed with Hoggle's help. She pulled the covers up over the Goblin King, and resolved to let him sleep for a few hours before trying to wake him. Sarah turned to Hoggle.

"Let's get you dried out, too." Sarah led the weary dwarf to her brother's room, and after handing him a towel, pulled down some of Toby's clothes… Toby was taller than Hoggle, and thinner, but they would make do. She left him to change, and went downstairs.

Sarah felt the adrenaline surge leaving her, and collapsed on the couch. She glanced at the clock, and groaned as she realized how late for work she was. She reached for the phone, and called in, telling her superior that she was having an emergency here at home, and that she couldn't make it. She hung up the phone, and relaxed back into the cushions, and closed her eyes. She smiled grimly as she heard Hoggle coming down the stairs, and turned to look at him.

"Alright, Hoggle, what is going on?" She felt the dwarf sit down on the couch next to her, exhaustion practically oozing out of him.

"I don'ts know, Sarah." Hoggle sounded utterly confused. "I's was down near the lake, walking home, and I saw's two elves throw him into it, with weights around his ankles, and when they's left, and I pulled him out, and it was Jareth! And he won't wake up!"

"Why won't he wake up, Hoggle?" Sarah felt numb… she knew her brain was not operating the way that it was supposed to.

"How's should I know? I'm just the gardener!" He sounded tired, and indignant.

"Why did you bring him here? Doesn't he have a doctor up in the castle?" Hoggle bowed his head.

"Who's ever thrown him in a lake was elves, and they's ain't people to cross when's you don't even know what's going on." He lifted his gaze from his hands and went on. "Whatevers going on up in the castle ain't no business of mine, and I won'ts be a part of it. It's all politics," he muttered nastily, curling his lip.

"Politics?" Sarah felt confused. She had wondered over the years about the way things were run Underground, well, about everything Underground, but Sir Didymus, Hoggle, and Ludo had never been very clear in answering her questions, and the goblins didn't even pretend to know what she was talking about; 'king kicks us when we chase the chickens,' and 'he sings cause he needs to,' whatever _that_ meant, were the most coherent accounts of castle-life that she could get from them.

"If it's to do with elves, then it's to do with politics." Hoggle snorted, and Sarah stopped contemplating about how little she knew about the Underground. Hoggle's comment was about as clear as mud… well, murky water, anyhow. There were certain things that she could extrapolate from that… elves and politics… hmmm…

"So how long has it been since you pulled Jareth out of the lake? And how did you get the two of you here?"

"I pulled him out and tooks us straight to my house, and we went through the mirror. Its only been twenty minutes."

"And how long was he in the water? Did you perform CPR?" Hoggle looked confused. "Why didn't he drown?"

Hoggle waved his hand. "I don'ts know. He's breathing. He's alive. And he's safe here where no one knows wheres he is. And I's is going home!"

"Hoggle!" Sarah thought, with a brief, hysterical, mental giggle, how some things didn't change. Like the tone of her voice as she watched Hoggle run away from a fight.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N-- So I'm updating a little earlier at the expense of a longer chapter. I think, considering my somewhat impulsive and consistently impatient nature, that this will probably be the norm. Plus, the end was just a good place to pause. I hope that you like it! Your reviews have been great, I've really appreciated them. Please, if you read, take the necessary 20 seconds to leave a review, even if it's only a love it/like it/hate it. Thanks, and happy reading!

* * *

Sarah leaned over Jareth, uncertain of what she might need to do to help him. He was still out cold, although his icy skin had warmed considerably, thanks to the electric blanket. She looked at him for another moment, committing to memory every facet of the face that she hadn't seen in ten years; noticing the small lines at the corners of his eyes and his mouth, the high cheekbones, the pale skin that was stretched so taut over his face, even when he was asleep. She ran her fingers across his sharply angled eyebrows, and down the bridge of his nose. He didn't have any of the colors that she remembered from her time Underground, and his face looked more human for it. She remembered the fire that was in his face, the smirking, sly amusement that he always found at her expense. Well, remembering how she had behaved, she couldn't blame him at all. She ran her hands up to his hair, and stopped at the tangles that she could see had formed in the feathery blond strands.

She straightened back from him, and went to fetch a hairbrush from her vanity. Sarah perched on the bed near his head, easing behind the pillows, and then removing them to pull his head onto her lap. She bit her lips before giving in to her smile, imagining what the Goblin King might say to her if he awoke to find them in such an intimate posture. She gently began to run the brush through Jareth's hair, carefully brushing out the many tangles that resulted, apparently, from being thrown into a lake, pulled out by one's boots, and then hauled through a mirror into another land. She stopped at a particularly devious snarl, teasing it out softly.

What was going on? So Jareth was thrown in a lake, by two elves. Elves, apparently, equaled politics. Was Jareth an elf? What kind of elf? Obviously not the stereotypical kind. She pulled his hair back from his ears, which were slightly more pointed than hers, but not very noticeably. Perhaps the mythical Celtic kind? The Fae? Sarah knew a little bit about the myths, but not much. She knew that they were called the Sidhe, that they had their own courts, that time moved differently for them. Well, it had certainly moved differently for her. Her brain began repeating itself… she did not know much. If that was the kind of elf that Hoggle had been talking about in the first place. Maybe it had been slang. Maybe it had meant something completely different than what it meant Aboveground.

Sarah made a face at herself as she tried to theorize without any real information at all. She knew better than that. The brush moved smoothly through Jareth's hair now, and Sarah regretfully laid it down, moving to let Jareth recline on the bed again. She wondered if she should even bother trying to pump Hoggle for more information. Well, if Jareth didn't wake up sometime during the day, then she'd call Hoggle for help, come Hell, high water, or elves.

* * *

The goblins were going through the pantry when Sarah went downstairs. She sighed, and wondered what ramifications they would have on everything. Did Jareth even know that they visited her? She sighed again, and decided to get an early start on supper. It would be one less thing to worry about when Karen came home, and she had to tell her that the Goblin King was upstairs in her bedroom. She started chopping vegetables and browning the beef for a stew, wondering what in the world she was going to do. She told herself to stop dithering. There wasn't anything that she could do until Jareth woke up.

What would happen when he woke up? Would he act the same way that he had in the Labyrinth? Flirtatious, angry, daunting throughout. She'd thought long and hard about what Jareth had meant when he said that he had done everything that she had wanted… he had been absolutely right. He had given her the most amazing adventure, and had transformed himself into someone that might be completely different than who he might really be. How would she know, given the limited interaction that she'd had with him to begin with?

Sarah had had ten years to reflect on her experiences with the Goblin King, and she didn't feel good about them. She had been a selfish brat; although she had been threatened with some pretty horrific things in the Labyrinth, like decapitation by Fiery, and being mowed down by the cleaners, she hadn't actually gotten hurt at all… which made her wonder how much of it was meant to hurt her, and how much of it was meant to teach her a lesson. Looking back with the eyes of an adult, if those had been real situations, maiming and death would have been far more typical of confronting wild animals (and throwing away their heads), and of barely running ahead of a steel drill with torturous-looking attachments.

What about the flirting, and the intimidation tactics? How much of what she had seen of him was genuine, and how much of it was the persona that he played up to someone who tried to win through his labyrinth?

She had the stew simmering on the stove and the dishes finished before she thought to glance at the clock, and astonished at how much time had passed. It seemed, despite, or perhaps because of all the chaos, that quite a lot had happened in only a little bit of time, but it was already after one. She wished that she knew what to do… she stilled as she heard a crash from her parents room, and was running up the stairs in a flash.

She paused at the threshold, seeing a very handsome, very nude Goblin King standing unsteadily near the bed. She saw him focus on her blearily, his eyes still sleepy and confused.

"Sarah?" He looked completely, utterly bewildered.

Sarah approached him cautiously, and took his arm, gently leading him back down onto the bed, and beneath the covers.

She spoke softly and clearly, "Hoggle pulled you up from a lake that you'd been tossed in by two elves. He brought you here Aboveground to my house, because he didn't think you'd be safe in the castle." Jareth frowned slightly, remembering, before the lines in his forehead deepened abruptly, and then Sarah jumped, startled by the low, deep growl that had just come from him.

He started to sit up again, but Sarah placed her hand on his shoulder, surprising both of them, the contact between her hand and his bare shoulder electric. She pushed him back down, slightly, and he leaned back, staring at her.

"Your Majesty, before you get up to take care of whatever has happened, I want to make sure that you're healthy. Can you tell me why you've been unconscious so long? Is there anything that I can get for you?"

Jareth continued to stare at her, and there was a little line between his eyes, indicating his puzzlement. Finally, he responded:

"Your Majesty?" he arched his eyebrow. "You never called me that, before."

Sarah blinked, surprised that, of all the ways he could have responded, he had chosen to react to her use of his title.

"Age has taught me respect, I suppose." She smiled a little self deprecatingly. "It was very rude of me to treat you so… harshly, the last time that we met. I'm sorry."

Jareth nodded, still staring, and then sent her a very charming smile. "Apology accepted, Sarah. Please, call me Jareth."

So, the flirting was still on.


	3. Chapter 3

Jareth blinked the sleep out of his eyes slowly, his mind foggy with dreams, his body pleasantly warm and heavy. Finally, his eyes opened all the way, to a white ceiling that was most certainly not the ceiling of his bedroom… or any other room in his castle, for that matter.

His reflexes kicked in much faster than his mind. He found himself in a wobbly defensive crouch near the bed. He reached for any of his weapons, but found himself without a stitch of clothing. He tried to get his mind to focus, looking for any clues as to where he was… it was a bedroom Aboveground… the bed had a canopy over it, there were wide glass balcony doors… it looked vaguely familiar…

He tensed as he heard footsteps pound up a staircase and towards him. Then, the one woman, the one gorgeous, compassionate, beautiful woman who had ever beaten him at his own game rounded the corner.

He must be still asleep. He was dreaming. Jareth hadn't seen Sarah since the day she had won her brother back from him. He knew that she maintained close ties with several of his subjects, but she had never seen fit to call on him, before. _Not that she was led to believe that overtures would be welcome_. In any case, Sarah was here, and staring at him rather hungrily; therefore, he was dreaming.

Perhaps it would be wise to double check.

"Sarah?"

She started walking towards him, and touched his arm. Now, Jareth had pretty extensive experience with realistic dreams and hallucinations, but this was a damned close call… he was still leaning towards dream. He stumbled back onto the bed, and let her tuck him in. Yes, he was dreaming.

He was surprised when she spoke… her voice had deepened ever so slightly… he looked at her even more closely, seeing the faintest web of lines at the corners of her eyes, around her mouth… this was the first time he had dreamt of a Sarah who had aged. He frowned at her, bemused.

Then his brain caught up with her words.

_That bloody buggering wanker! _

His precious nephew had just… had tried… his kingdom! His two idiot henchmen had tied him up and tossed him in a lake! He was going to… bog… iron maiden… kill!

Jareth was shocked out of his thoughts when Sarah pushed him back down into the pillows, and he stared up her, startled at the heat of her touch. Sarah was real! She was here! And apparently, she was concerned for him.

"Your Majesty," _Your Majesty?_ "Before you get up to take care of whatever has happened, I want to make sure that you're healthy." _Not dreaming! Huzzah!_ "Can you tell me why you've been unconscious so long? Is there anything that I can get for you?" _Oh, Sarah…_

Sarah was here… corporally and literally and mentally… and she was taking care of him because he was a drowning victim, and that little scab of a gardener had saved him. Best push all thoughts of politics into the back of his mind, and focus on the important things. Sarah! Sarah was using his title? Now that was not consistent with the girl that he remembered.

"Your Majesty?" he made his tone lightly questioning… lightly mocking. "You never called me that, before."

He watched her flush charmingly, and she replied with aplomb, "Age has taught me respect, I suppose." She gave her shoulders a little shrug. "It was very rude of me to treat you so… brashly, the last time that we met. I'm sorry."

Beautiful little Sarah had grown into a gracious woman… "Apology accepted, Sarah. Please, call me Jareth." He allowed himself a wide grin. This was wonderful!

* * *

Fifteen minutes later saw him confronting an Aboveground bathroom. Sarah's face had been pale when she had handed him a stack of clothing, but by the time she had shown him how to work the shower, and handed him a towel, her cheeks were charmingly flushed. Jareth stood quietly under the hot spray, scrubbing pond scum off with soap, and sorting his thoughts.

The politics of his situation were simple. His cabbage-headed nephew had tried to depose him. There were various questions of how much support he had, and from who, but the fact that Zebulon had attempted to neutralize him, rather than kill him outright, was quite telling in and of itself.

Jareth knew, without modesty, false or otherwise, that he was unarguably the most powerful being in his kingdom, and he wasn't worried about taking care of Zebulon when he returned home. No matter what kind of support the little bugger had found, Jareth couldn't be successfully defeated on his home turf, not with his own personal powers combined with the might of the Labyrinth. When he returned, he'd have that treacherous little bastard executed for treason, along with his allies. Not a complicated scenario, just messy and painful. For Zebulon.

Jareth found his thoughts dwelling far less on the political maneuvering that this situation entailed, and far more on his hostess. Sarah. He had found himself thinking about her often, over the years. She was one of the very, very few mortals who had defeated his Labyrinth, and was certainly the prettiest, and the feistiest.

From the short amount of time he had spent with her, it seemed that age had eased some of her rougher characteristics… _Your Majesty_. _Sarah!_ Who would have ever thought? He wondered, did Sarah ever think about him? He had allowed his goblins to keep her company over the years… well, as a Champion of the Labyrinth, they were rather drawn to her, whether he willed it or not. It was worth the aggravation of having a few less goblins around to kick on any given day, since every now and then they would drop a tidbit about how Sarah's life was progressing.

He frowned as he rinsed the soap away. He was starting to sound pathetically starry-eyed, even to himself. It wasn't like he'd done nothing but wait around for her for ten years… he had been running a kingdom, that was quite enough to keep him busy. But he'd never met a woman who was her equal… and he'd looked. But now, thanks to Fate (better Fate than that wretched Haggle), here he was, spending time with her, and she was worried for him! He wouldn't be sending nightmares after her, or borrowing siblings, or anything… they might actually have an opportunity to get to know each other… oh, he hoped!

Jareth jumped and cursed loudly as he turned the water to cold, instead of off. After he had figured the damned faucet out, and was toweling off, he looked at the pile of clothes on the counter with some trepidation. They were about the right height, but he was much more slim than the man who owned these clothes. He wondered who's they were… oh, no wonder Sarah had looked pained. These were her father's clothes… he remembered one of his goblins mentioning her father having cancer. He cinched the belt tight around the denim's waist, and after running a comb through his hair, walked out of the bedroom, and down the stairs to find Sarah.

* * *

Sarah thought, with mild embarrassment, that there must be something sick in her for finding Jareth, wearing her father's clothes, absolutely edible. Seriously, she needed therapy. Thoughts of fairytales, kidnapping, incest, death, all combined in one fantastic view. Ewww. She was sick. Therapy_. Focus, Sarah. _She stared back down at the coffee table bashfully._ Eyes up, Sarah! You're not some drooping violet! Grow a spine! _She bet that she could get a discount through the college's health care plan. She'd heard that Dr. Jersey had a great way of listening, and giving great advice without prescribing drugs… or men in white coats, hopefully.

She waved her hand to get his attention as he walked down the last few stairs. "You look much better! Please, grab a seat." Sarah gestured to the seat across from hers. "Is there anything I can get you?"

Jareth smiled at her. "That's the second time that you've asked me that, Sarah, thank you. No, I'm fine for the moment." Dear God, what a voice. She hadn't really, fully remembered that rich, smooth voice. _FOCUS! _He was speaking again. Don't miss a word! "No, I'm quite grateful for what you've done already. It's likely that without your help, I might have gotten very, very sick." His lips turned up in a genuine smile.

She smiled at him. He was being very… nice. No looming. No intimidating. He looked very approachable in a pair of Levi's and a soft cotton shirt. He didn't seem to be mocking her, or irritated. Was this the Goblin King out of uniform?

"I have so many questions for you!" Her smile dimmed a small amount. "I don't want to be rude." _Really, I don't. Doesn't mean that I won't be, though, if you evade my questions!_ Sarah's smile faded the rest of the way, and she frowned. "But what on Earth is going on?"

Could she have asked any question more open-ended?

Jareth raised his eyebrows, and leaned back, crossing his arms and legs.

"Where would you like me to start?"

* * *

A/N— Please review and I promise that I'll update faster, cross my heart!


	4. Chapter 4

"Let's start with why Hoggle had to pull you out of your own lake?"

Jareth leaned forward. "Do you know much about the way that my kingdom is governed?"

Sarah sighed dramatically, and gave a very emphatic "No!" Jareth looked at her with some puzzlement. "I have asked every single one of your subjects that I've come in contact with plenty of questions about the Underground, and I never get any answers! Just nonsense, or nothing at all! It's so frustrating!" She banged her fists on her knees, and then gave a brief, breathy little laugh, amused by the nonplussed look on Jareth's face.

Jareth smirked at her, pleased. "You appear very interested in my home, Sarah." He showed the sharp tips of his teeth as his smile widened. "You're welcome to ask me as many questions as you like, and I guarantee that you'll get more satisfaction than 'nothing at all.' Although some of the answers may seem a little nonsensical."

"Back to why your gardener had to pull you out of a lake…"

"Ahh, yes." Jareth stood up. "Why don't we take this into the kitchen… I do believe that I am becoming a little peckish." Sarah jumped up to follow him, impressed at how well he was able to maneuver through a house where he was a guest… more of that kingly assurance, can't do anything wrong when you're the king!

"Here, take a seat."

Jareth pulled a chair out, and sat at the kitchen table, watching Sarah closely as she filled a tea kettle with water, and turned some knobs on the stove, before she dished him up a bowl of beef stew that smelled absolutely heavenly… he smirked at the thought that he was about to eat some food that she had given him. Just as she had eaten a peach that he had given her. Oh, the implications!

Jareth assumed a lecturing tone as Sarah sat down opposite him with her own bowl, watching him with wide green eyes. "I am the king of a fairly traditional feudal monarchy. I keep a small court, mostly because my kingdom is not very popular with the average courtier, goblins being what they are. I am unmarried and without issue, so my current heir is my idiot nephew, Zebulon." He took a bite of his stew, which tasted just as good as it smelled. "Precious little Zebby has apparently decided that he is ready to assume my place, and attempted to have me… imprisoned."

"Imprisoned?"

"Yes. I don't drown, exactly, the way a human would. Instead of dying from suffocation… so to speak… my body would go into a sort of stasis. You know, incredibly slow heartbeat and vitals, probably similar to a coma… that kind of thing. So Zebulon wanted to be able to pull me back out and dust me off if he needed to… although, frankly, I think that he didn't have the balls to kill me outright."

Sarah swallowed her mouthful, and nodded thoughtfully. "So you're not human? What about the two people who threw you in? And why did you say that you could have gotten sick?"

Jareth held up his hand. "I could have gotten very sick. Without your help, my body would have concluded that stasis was unnecessary, because I was no longer immersed in water, but would have taken about a week to draw out of it completely… and a week without food or water would have decimated my magic, which would have caused me to become quite ill. Thanks to your ministrations, I didn't have to go through any of that."

Sarah protested, "Oh, but I didn't do very much! I didn't know what to do at all."

"You did quite enough! You got me dried off and warm very quickly, and that you did all of it by hand, including my hair, for which I thank you especially, was what made my body wake up all the more quickly. It is entirely due to you that I am up and healthy, now." He held her gaze with his, and she fought her blush, although she was sure that her face was bright red_ (how had he known she had brushed his hair?),_ refusing to be the one to look away.

* * *

"You're welcome." She glanced down, and then slowly brought her eyes back up. Jareth was reminded strongly of a moment during her run, when he had been leaning towards her in the tunnels, watching her thoughts play on her face; uncertainty, attraction, defiance… _Plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose_. He grinned. But this time, he wouldn't be sending any horrors after her. Quite the contrary.

He continued to smile.

"So what makes you think that I'm not human?"

She rolled her eyes like the fifteen year old she had once been, and he had trouble holding in the laughter.

"Well, if the contact juggling with magic crystals weren't a dead giveaway, I'd say that the eyebrows, the teeth, and the ears _(and what was making her blush, hmmm?)_ were all broad hints."

This time, Jareth threw back his head and laughed, and was so, so pleased to notice Sarah's eyes following the column of his throat, down to his collarbone.

"Actually, I was human, once, but I've spent most of my life in the Labyrinth, and living there changes you. I'm not anything other than human, but no, I'm no longer exactly human, anymore."

"Really?" Sarah's eyes widened comically in her enthusiasm. "Then how did you become the King of the Goblins?"

"Well," leaning back and crossing his legs, "When I was fourteen, I was watching my baby cousin, who had come to live with us four months before… sound familiar?" He shook his head at her. "I beat the Labyrinth, but instead of returning to my former life, the former King decided to make me his heir… much as I planned on doing with young Toby, before you won him back."

Sarah made a squeaking sound.

"Heir? I thought that you were going to turn him into a goblin!"

Jareth shook his head and smiled. "As if I didn't have enough of them around already. By the way, where are all of yours?"

"Oh!" Sarah frowned. "I can't believe that you haven't come across any yet. They usually sleep in during the morning, but a couple helped me cook lunch." She looked around. Then she turned back to him. "What do you mean, mine?"

"Oh, don't worry, they're not actually yours." He waved his hand with an understated, casual elegance. "As a Champion of the Labyrinth, they're rather drawn to you, want to protect you, keep you happy and in company, and you have a bit of a hard core group that stays with you almost all of the time."

"Yes, I know." Sarah smiled, and Jareth had to keep himself from reaching out and stroking her soft, long dark hair, reveling in the graceful line of her cheek and neck as she turned to look around again. "Really, they're so ubiquitous, usually; I wonder where they've all gone. The smell of food should have brought them out no matter what they're up to!"

"Hmmmm…" Jareth stood and took their empty dishes to the sink, where he ran some water over them. He turned and lounged gracefully against the counter, smiling and dancing internally when he noted how Sarah's eyes rested on him. This was the woman that he wanted for his wife, for his queen. And he would do everything he could to persuade her to marry him. She wasn't too young, _this_ time.

* * *

A/N— Okay, I know that it's kind of short, especially considering how long it's taken me to update, but my head was really dragging… I know where I want my story to go, but the bridging was kind of difficult this chapter. Anyhow, a lot of basic explanation, you know, the background details that always need to be covered just so that we can get on with the plot, right? Just about done with those, I hope. My plan is to get a little more relationshippy, but with as much realism as I can muster (don't you raise your eyebrows at me, I know this is a fantasy genre._ I_ know that _you_ know that I'm talking about realism as far as it applies to their _characters_!) Anyhow, please take the twenty (maybe even ten) seconds necessary for a review, you have no idea how encouraging they are! Cheers!


	5. Chapter 5

Sarah led Jareth back into the living room, bringing a fresh pot of tea with her. She poured out, handing Jareth his cup, and leaning back into the couch with a sigh of contentment. All confusion aside (and for just a moment, she would push it aside), she had a cup of tea, a comfy seat, and a handsome man to talk to…

She smiled at him, enjoying their quiet moment, and her eyes wandered over his face. She was lost in her contemplation when he asked her something.

"I'm sorry, what did you say?"

Jareth smirked at her preoccupation. "I asked you if you would mind if I called up a subject of mine in order to find out the state of affairs down in the Labyrinth."

"Oh yes, certainly. I don't mind."

"Thank you. Let's just double check that my skills are in working order, first." He waved his hand, summoning a crystal. Transportation was rather a more difficult skill, and it wasn't something that he wanted to botch, no matter who he was calling up. He tossed the crystal up, and when he caught it in his hand, the ill-fitting clothing of Sarah's father became a pair of black slacks, and a white linen shirt. Smiling, Jareth focused on the second orb that now appeared in his hand. She saw him blow gently onto it, steaming up the crystal, and she watched more closely, fascinated. He murmured something into it, and dropped the orb onto the carpet. Sarah jumped when the orb suddenly shimmered, and Sir Didymus appeared before her.

The little fox reacted before she could.

"My Lady!" he was entirely happy. "My Lady, how are you? I am heartily ashamed that I missed your last call, indeed, I was entirely remiss in minding my…"

Sir Didymus found himself cut off at his king's cleared throat, and jumped in surprise.

"Your Majesty." Sir Didymus turned abruptly, and bowed deeply. "My Liege, I cannot tell you how wonderful it is to find that you are healthy and whole, and here with My Lady. Why, the Court is absolutely in disarray without your leadership, and the goblins have ruined the castle with their unchecked mayhem." He took in another breath to continue, but Jareth raised his hand, and the eager fox paused.

"I wish to know exactly what is going on in the Court. My vacation was not _begun_ voluntarily."

Sarah shot him a look, wondering what he wasn't saying. Did he mean that it was continuing voluntarily?

He and Sir Didymus continued to speak about the reactions to his disappearance… apparently, the story that everyone had been fed was that he was leaving his nephew to gain some much needed experience. Few believed this, however, since it was a completely asinine story. A monarch just taking off in the middle of the night, without making any arrangements with the servants, or with trusted advisors. No one had moved to take control from Zebulon, however.

Sarah watched as Sir Didymus waved his paws in his excitement, and Jareth arched his eyebrows in suspicion.

"This only means that whoever is supporting Zebulon is continuing to do so behind the scenes. Making them only that much harder to find. Damn." Jareth propped his chin on his fist, looking frustrated.

He waved his hand at Sir Didymus.

"Thank you, you may go."

"Sire," said the fox diffidently, "are there any actions that you would like me to effect upon my return?"

Jareth paused for thought, and then shook his head.

"Keep silent about having seen me. I do not know how soon I will return, it may be any time in the next week, depending on developments." Jareth turned his wrist, conjuring up a crystal.

"Yes, Your Majesty." Sir Didymus bowed again, and turned to bow to Sarah. "My Lady, I will call upon you later in the week, if that will suit you?"

"Certainly, Sir Didymus. I look forward to it." Sarah winked at him, and smiled as he deftly turned and caught the crystal that Jareth tossed to him, before disappearing as quickly as he had arrived.

Sarah looked at Jareth, who was sipping his tea with a faint grimace. She took a sip of her own, and found that it had gone tepid. She rose, and extended her hand out to him. He looked up at her quizzically.

"If you like, I'll toss that down the sink, and pour you a fresh cup." He silently handed her his cup, quirking an eyebrow, and watching her as she moved from the room.

Jareth watched the gentle sway of Sarah's hips as she went into the kitchen. He was spending far more time thinking about Sarah than he was thinking about his kingdom. He forced his thoughts back onto politics.

If he returned now, the ramifications of his disappearance might be lessened, but those who plotted against him would harder to find. He knew that Zebulon wouldn't be acting on his own; the twit had no wit or spine to speak of. If he stayed… well, if he stayed…

Not only would he be spending more time with Sarah, but if he could contact one or two trusted friends to do some detective work…

Brilliant. He could spend time wooing Sarah, and work on politics. Hopefully, at the end of his stay he would be bringing his intended home with him.

He school himself to not stare at Sarah as she walked back into the room, but he knew it was a loosing battle. He gave her a brilliant smile as she leaned down to hand him his tea, and was terrifically pleased with the mischievous grin that she leveled back at him.

"Well," she began, as she curled her legs beneath her on the couch, "what do you plan on doing now?"

"Sarah, if it's not too much of an imposition, I was wondering if I could spend a few more days with you. Not only do I enjoy your company very, very much, but I would be able to spot a few more conspirators from behind the scenes than if I returned now."

Sarah nodded her head yes, and opened her mouth to answer him, but paused when she heard a key in the lock of the front door.

"My mother is home," she told Jareth, "and you're welcome to stay for however long you like."

_What will she tell her mother about me?_ Jareth looked at the carefully coiffed woman opening the door with a curious eye—at fifteen, Sarah had been unable to stand this woman… now she spoke of her with affection, love.

Karen began speaking before the door was entirely open… "I'm home a little early, Sarah, I… Oh!" Karen spotted the two of them in the living room, and her eyes grew very wide and round.

"You're him, aren't you? You're the Goblin King."


	6. Chapter 6

Jareth stood and sketched Karen a graceful bow. "Madam, you have the advantage. I don't believe we've met."

Sarah also stood hastily. "I'm sorry! Mother, this is Jareth, the King of the Goblins. Jareth, this is my mother, Karen Williams."

Karen moved closer to the pair before dipping into a slight curtsy and extending her hand, which Jareth held gently for a moment before gallantly saluting it. "It's a pleasure, Your Majesty."

Jareth sternly told his eyebrows to stay where they belonged. "Please, call me Jareth." He released Karen's hand, and turned his head to look at Sarah, who smirked at him. He turned back to Karen. "Forgive me, I find myself very surprised at your… erm…" Jareth floundered for a moment. Was there a polite way of saying that he was incredibly impressed with her sangfroid? "At your acceptance of me," he finished weakly.

Usually, his reception Aboveground wasn't so simple. People screamed, went after fire arms, had hysterics, thought that it was a prank… it usually took quite a bit of persuasion. Sarah had been one of the few to believe in him right off the bat, and she had had a bit of help in identifying him from the novel he had given her. Even so… he was wearing Aboveground clothing, which should have muddied the waters… Apparently the ease of accepting his appearance, no matter what he was wearing, ran in the family.

Karen smiled. "Oh, our family has been hearing about you for years! It's so lovely to meet you in person!" Jareth knew that he wasn't hiding the surprise on his face very well.

Sarah wore that mischievous grin again, the one that made his heart beat faster. Her voice had a teasing lilt when she asekd, "Mom, did you say that on purpose?"

Karen sat down on the couch, pulling Sarah down with her, and toed off her shoes, apparently at complete ease with the King of the Goblins sitting in the easy chair across from her.

"Did I say what on purpose, dear?"

"You know…" Sarah cut another impish grin at Jareth, "You're him, aren't you? You're the Goblin King?" She raised her eyebrows at her mother.

Karen laughed. "No I did not! Well, not on purpose. I am entirely in sympathy with you now." She turned to Jareth. "You are quite unmistakable, Your Ma… err... Jareth."

"I am very surprised that you know of me at all, much less can recognize me." Jareth was watching the two women intently, adding up figures and comments and first impressions—and remaining fairly bemused by the situation. "Most people who meet me don't want to admit it, for a variety of reasons."

"Yes, well…" Sarah smirked at him, amused.

"Don't tease, Sarah!" Karen rebuked her gently, and then smiled at Jareth. "Sarah came home from that adventure in your maze so much more mature and self aware… her father and I eventually got it out of her… it was touch and go there, for awhile, trying to decide if we believed her or not…"

"Tried to decide if you needed to send me to Bedlam, more like it," Sarah muttered quietly to herself, smirking.

Karen went on as if she hadn't heard anything. "But we listened to all of the stories that she told Toby at bedtime, and we saw all of the drawings that she made of her time there…"

This time it was Jareth who interjected. "Drawings?"

"Oh, yes, didn't Sarah show you? She has a huge portfolio of them up in her room."

"No, she didn't." Jareth sent her a speculative look.

"But we finally really believed her when we spoke to some of her friends through her mirror. There's no way of faking that! We couldn't see them, but we could hear them just fine, and we knew it couldn't be a recording, or someone helping Sarah play a prank on us." Karen turned to Sarah. "Would you please go get your portfolio? I'm sure that you'd love to show Jareth some of your artwork."

Sarah went up to her room to grab the large folder of sketches, and found Karen and Jareth trading mutually unfavorable opinions about Hoggle when she returned. She sniffed. Hoggle was _her_ friend! It didn't matter what they thought of him.

Jareth flipped through the drawings slowly, often remarking on the accuracy of the details that she had drawn in. He didn't speak when he came across several different portraits of himself, drawn from their several confrontations over the course of Sarah's journey. He paused for a very long time at the drawing that showed her giving Hoggle a kiss while he tried to push her away, and again at the one that showed the two of them dancing in her Ballroom Dream; Sarah was intensely curious as to what he was thinking.

When the conversation about her drawings (remarkable, talented, charming, etc.) had died a natural death, she brought up the subject of Jareth's…erm…holiday.

"Mom, would it be alright if Jareth stayed here with us for a bit?"

Karen didn't even pause.

"Yes, of course." She smiled before continuing. "I'm afraid that I've commandeered the guest room, but the Master bedroom is completely clean, you're welcome to stay there for however long you like.;

Jareth inclined his head. "Thank you very much for your hospitality."

"Not at all!" Karen chirped brightly. "In fact, there are just a few things that I'd like to pull out of the closet, I'll go do that right now!" She stood, and started up the stairs, winking at Sarah as she left.

* * *

Jareth slowly and deliberately stood up, stretching his arms wide. He then turned and sat down on the couch next to Sarah. He put his arm on the back of the couch, so that he was almost embracing her. He bent his forehead close to hers, and whispered to her, "Oh, you Precious Thing!"

Sarah glanced up at him impishly. "Jareth, I have no idea what you're talking about!"

"You never cease to surprise me, Sarah." He rubbed the tip of his nose against hers briefly, before pulling back and looking at her properly. "I can't believe you told your family about me." He frowned ruefully. "I can't believe that they believed you!"

Sarah laughed, and tilted her head coquettishly so that she was looking up at him from beneath her long dark eyelashes. He shifted so that his arm was along her shoulders, and his other hand held hers in her lap.

Jareth held very still for a moment, savoring the feeling of holding Sarah in his arms, of being in her house, of meeting her mother, and of being accepted without question. He kept looking down at her, probably with a ridiculously sentimental expression on his face. He forgot to be self conscious when he saw Sarah's eyes darken, and saw her swallow nervously. He leaned forward again, and for the first time, he very carefully, very gently, very deliberately pressed his lips against hers for the first time.

* * *

Sarah didn't think twice… she kissed Jareth back with shameless enthusiasm.


	7. Chapter 7

Sarah buried her fingers in Jareth's silky hair, slowly moving her hands down his neck, to clutch at his shoulders. His soft, warm lips moved slowly against hers, sliding across them, back and forth. She felt him pull back from her for a brief moment, and she lifted her eyes up to his, before they moved of their own accord back to his mouth. He smiled slightly, before leaning back in to kiss her again.

Sarah felt that peculiarly cool warmth of arousal rush through her body, tingling down her arms, across her scalp, into her belly. She tilted her head to get a better angle, and he obliged her by leaning farther into her, pressing her between him and the cushions. Sarah parted her lips in invitation, but Jareth playful nipped at her lower lip, before sucking on it lightly.

Sarah framed his face with her hands, and did her level best to deliver the best kiss that she had in her. Apparently, it was quite good... Jareth let out a muffled groan (Sarah's mouth was emphatically in the way), and his hands moved down to her waist, caressing the strip of skin that was bared between her jeans and her jumper.

They jumped apart as the front door slammed open, and a small boy disguised as a whirling dervish (complete with the white robes… well, parka, really) came through the door.

"Hey Mom, Sarah, guess wha…" Toby's mouth dropped open. "What?"

Jareth was able to switch directions at the… slam of a door… and smiled at the young boy. Sarah was still a little disoriented, and offered a dazed, tentative smile.

Toby looked at Jareth a little suspiciously, but then began to smile, and was soon bouncing on the balls of his feet.

"Oh jeez, you're you! I mean, you're Jareth!" he ran over to the couple on the couch before sitting across from them on the coffee table. "Wow, it's so great to meet you!" He stuck out his hand for Jareth to shake.

"Yes, it is good to meet you again." Jareth seemed pleased to see Toby, and reached out to shake the boy's hand. Sarah was impressed with Toby's manners; he wasn't usually so polite. Or enthusiastic. At least, not in his own home.

Toby looked at Sarah. "Umm, Sis? You okay?"

Sarah shook her head a little. "Mmmhmm, I'm fine. I'm great!" she smiled, still a little hazily. The Goblin King packed more than just sarcasm in that mouth of his. She shook her head again, and blinked her eyes wide, putting in an effort to get back to normal. _Game face, come on_.

She sighed exaggeratedly, stretching her arms (_accidentally_ hitting Jareth), and said "I'm a little tired, sorry."

Toby was bouncing in his seat, completely uninterested in his sister's protestations of innocence, or Jareth's smug smirk.

"Jareth is staying with us for a visit while some politics are worked out in his kingdom."

Toby began to fire off questions, hardly waiting for a reply.

"What's going on? Are you really the king? Can you really do magic? Are you going to steal me again?"

* * *

Jareth kept his wide smile inside as he held up a hand to stall the questions. He loved a curiosity and spirit in a child. "Maneuvering (_he winked at Sarah_), yes, yes, and probably not."

Sarah sputtered indignantly. "Probably not! What does that mean?!"

Jareth smirked. "I don't imagine that you'll be wishing him away again any time soon, but the thought isn't inconceivable…"

He raised his hands to ward off Sarah's playfully raised fists, and found himself saved from violence and further questions with Karen's reentrance.

"Toby, you're home, good! Have you met our guest? Did you have a good day?" Toby was up and bouncing again, his voice going at a million miles per hour. Karen laughed and pulled him into the kitchen, saying over her shoulder, "We'll be right back, I'm going to get us some more tea while I reheat the soup that you made, Sarah."

Jareth turned to Sarah, who was mock-glaring at him.

"I'd pick up where we left off, but I'm not sure that…"

"That would be wise with my kid brother and my mom within earshot?" Sarah finished for him, lightly sarcastic and smiling. "No, I guess not." She leaned up and brushed a fast kiss against his lips. "Oh well!" She shrugged and smiled puckishly. Jareth found himself absolutely charmed.

Sarah frowned up at him. "About that maneuvering…"

Jareth beamed at her. "Actually, I did have in mind some…"

"I just said not right now!" Sarah cried.

Jareth laughed. "No, that's not what I meant." He chuckled a little bit more, and then continued. "No, I mean I was wondering if I might beg some help from you with some of that politicking that's going to be happening."

"Politicking?" Sarah looked intrigued.

"Yes, I think that…" Jareth found himself interrupted again when Toby and Karen came back into the room. Toby carried the tea tray carefully, and Karen walked in behind him, snagging the easy chair.

Looking into Toby's eager wide eyes, Jareth resigned himself to an extensive Q&A session, instead of the seductive bit of plotting that he wanted to be conducting with Sarah.

Sarah laughed to herself as she watched Jareth and Toby interact, with Karen to moderate. She shouldn't have been so surprised at how much skill he had with children, considering his day job, but she was still pleased at how easily and pleasantly he spoke with Toby. They ran out of tea quickly, and Sarah got up to brew another pot of tea… Karen, Toby, and Jareth showed no signs of slowing down. She carefully surveyed the hallway, and then the kitchen and the pantry, which were all empty. She returned to the living room with a freshly brewed pot of tea… they'd need to buy more soon if they kept going through it at this rate.

During the next lull in the conversation (which had been about her drawings of the hedge-maze, oddly enough), she changed the subject. "Jareth, I'm getting really worried about the goblins." She had set the fresh tea pot down on the tray, and began pouring into their cups.

"What about them?" Toby looked over at Sarah curiously.

"None of them are here, not even the family goblins." She watched Jareth look around out of the corner of his eyes.

"Family goblins?" he queried.

"Yes, you know, the hard core ones." She turned to Karen. "Not even Mops came in with you. Was she with you earlier?"

"Mops is missing?" She looked genuinely concerned.

Jareth stared at Karen in disbelief, "You can see the goblins?"

"Oh, no! No, I wish I could. But I've seen Sarah's pictures, you know, and even though I don't see them, they often let me know that they're around… shutting drawers, stealing pencils, messing with my coat… you know, a little bit of mayhem. Apparently Mops has adopted me. She goes to work with me, too. Hmmm… She was in the car on the way home; I remember her snapping on the seatbelt in the passenger seat."

"Toby, what about Kippy? Was he with you today?"

Toby frowned. "Noooo," he said slowly. "I haven't heard him since lunch time."

"Hmmm…" Sarah set her cup down, and stood up again, "I'll be right back, I think that I'll go search through the rest of the house, real quick." She smiled at the trio, and started walking up the stairs. She heard the conversation behind her begin quietly again.

Sarah quickly peeked into the bedrooms, the linen closet, and finally ducked into the bathroom. She cocked her head, listening hard. She heard a squeak, and turned towards the bathtub.

She drew back the shower curtain, and stared. "What on earth are you guys doing in here?" All of the goblins that she was used to seeing on a regular basis—all twelve of them—were crammed into the bottom of her bathtub.


	8. Chapter 8

Sarah stared down at the goblins crammed into her bathtub. They blinked up at her, and a couple yawned. She scrunched up her eyes and shook her head a bit, before opening her eyes again. No, they were all still packed into her bathtub, tight as a can of sardines.

"Okay, I'll bite. Why _is_ a raven like a writing desk?"

The goblins didn't say anything, although they had all looked at each other rather furtively, and their slight shifting caused her rubber ducky to squeak plaintively.

No, the phrase didn't make the bizarre situation any more relatable, the way it was supposed to, but at least it made her feel better.

"Seriously, what are you guys doing in my bathtub?" Sarah sat down on the toilet seat.

For over a minute, there was nothing more than hysterical looks shot several which ways between the pseudo-sardines, and some extensive, frantic hand gestures. Finally, one of the goblins (Naks, who had lost the third and final elimination round of rock, paper, chicken) spoke up:

"We could feel the magic."

Sarah nodded. "Mmmhmm."

"And we all needed to be together."

"Mmmhmm."

"That's why."

Sarah propped her chin on the palm of her hand. "The magic."

"Mmmhmm!" The little goblin nodded vigorously, and her rubber ducky squeaked sympathetically.

"What magic?"

"_The_ magic!" Naks looked at his compatriots. They all looked as stumped as he did. "_The_ magic." He nodded his head firmly. Ducky squeaked firmly. Sarah sighed.

"Are you guys going to stay in the bathtub?"

The spokesman poked another goblin in an effort to get him to start talking… but little Kippy was having none of that, and elbowed Naks back roughly. Several goblins started to yawn again, and the rubber ducky squeaked ferociously.

Naks scowled at being the one who had to keep talking. "Yes."

Sarah frowned at him. "Now don't get sassy with me, Mr. Naks, I'm not the one with a rubber ducky stuck up my… shirt."

"Until we get to go." The goblin remained grumbley, but sounded slightly apologetic. The rest of the goblins snickered through their yawns.

Sarah rolled her eyes and stood up. "Fine! Go back to sleep! Just let me know when you leave, we were worried about you!" She stomped (quietly) out of the bathroom, and standing up at the top of the stairs, called Jareth up to her. He could clear this up.

* * *

Jareth walked upstairs, and found Sarah at the end of the hallway. She was standing outside of a doorway, looking amused… and confused. He walked over to her, standing just a little too close, looking down at her, noticing the slight sprinkle of freckles across the bridge of her nose, the brilliance of her eyes, and the momentary hitch in her breathing as he leaned closer.

"Yes, Precious Thing?" he leaned down and rubbed the tip of his nose against hers. "How can I help you?"

She took a step back and smiled up at him. "I have a question for you."

Jareth cocked an eyebrow. "Yes?"

"Twelve goblins are asleep in my bathtub, because they, and I quote, 'all need to be together,' because of 'the magic.'"

Jareth blinked. Then he smiled. "Oh."

"Oh? What does 'oh' mean?"

Jareth smiled mysteriously, and then spread out his hands dramatically. "Oh."

Sarah scowled, and stomped her foot. Jareth smirked. She was adorable… so soft and sweet, and fierce, like a little tiger cub. Only sexy.

"Don't you start giving me the nonsense that I've been hearing about your kingdom from day one, buddy!"

_Buddy?_

"Really, what's up with the goblins napping in my bathtub?!"

Jareth smiled at her, and said, "It's a little complicated. Would you like to sit down?" Sarah pulled him into the master bedroom, and sat down on the bed with him. He raised his eyebrow at her. She crossed her arms and frowned. _Beautiful_.

"Well?"

"Sorry, I'm concentrating on not kissing you. Just a moment."

Sarah tried to keep a straight face, but it was a loosing battle. She gave in, smiling widely, and darted in to place a quick, gentle kiss on the corner of Jareth's mouth. She leaned back, blushing madly. "Seriously, what's wrong with my goblins?"

"The magic knows something is going to happen."

"Something?"

"Someone is going to say the words."

"Some_one_? Who?"

"The babe."

"What babe?"

"The babe with the power."

"What power?"

"The power of voodoo."

"What?" Sarah was completely exasperated.

"Sorry, I was sidetracked for a bit." (_A/N—I'm sorry, I couldn't help myself_.) Jareth smirked. "The goblins can tell when the magic of the Labyrinth is preparing to act on the behalf of someone's wish. I can also tell when someone is about to make a wish, and let me tell you, there isn't anyone out there, at the moment, about to wish away a child. Therefore, the wish is going to be one of mine."

"Is that unusual?" Sarah looked confused.

"Yes, actually. Whenever the Labyrinth consents to granting a wish of mine, I must use my own magic and my words to manipulate the Labyrinth's will… this is a very inelegant way of explaining it," Jareth broke off with a grimace.

"Oh!" Sarah actually clapped her hands. "That's what happens when you sing!" Sarah looked confused again, and Jareth felt his heart pound a little faster as her hand clasped his, and she looked up at him from beneath her eyelashes. "But you sang a couple of times. And your wishes didn't come true. Why didn't that happen when… when you sang to _me_?"

* * *

A/N—Sorry for the wait this week, folks. I had a dentist appointment instead of my usual couple hours of babysitting. Usually, I get the bulk of each chapter done then, but this week, I've been writing after I get my son to sleep. Seriously unsatisfied with this chapter character-wise, but it was good for plot. Want to hear something funny? I've been conditioned by years and years of extensive and painful orthodontics to actually enjoy going to the dentist. I know, I'm sick. But hey, I've got a new dentist, and he's really easy on the eyes. It's too bad we spend all of our time together with him staring down into my mouth. (Say, did anyone see that episode of Seinfeld? With Dr. Tongue? _Chuckles_.)

A free ducky-squeak to whoever knows what I'm referencing (hint—it's canon) when I say that the goblins are stuffed into the bathtub together because of the magic. Also, thank you, CoffeeKris, for pointing out the deplorable lack of rubber ducky… this chapter wouldn't have been nearly as fun to write without your comment!

Also—you know, here's something funny about writing fanfic instead of reading it (because this and _Kitchen Table_ are my first two fics)—the timeline is really weird for me. I recently got a great comment about how the reader thought that Sarah might be a little more guarded—and I totally agreed! But because I only turn out a chapter a week, to me, it feels like Jareth and Sarah have been dancing around each other for ages… instead of, oh, five or six hours. Anyhow, despite agreeing with the comment, I find myself giving into the fluff bunny… Jareth wants to marry Sarah, and she finds herself totally enthusiastic about making out with the Goblin King, all within a few hours of him waking up. And to justify it—hey, in my experience, infatuation and lust are serious motivators. Considering their history, temperaments, motivations, and mutual fantasies, it doesn't surprise me that they've kissed on the first date, so to speak. What do you think?


	9. Chapter 9

Jareth grimaced again. "Yes, when I sing, that's how I make a wish." He grinned at her. "I leave it as an exercise to the student as to why the Labyrinth might have denied any of the wishes that I made during your trip."

Sarah wrinkled her nose at him. "So what are you going to wish?"

Jareth looked at her a little more seriously. "Well, although I have some ideas floating around, I think that, given that there is no time limit on the Labyrinth's generosity, that I will wait until I know a little bit better what I'd like best."

"What do you mean?"

Jareth shrugged. "No rush. Except for getting your bathtub clear of goblins, but that's easily taken care of."

"Really?" Sarah raised an eyebrow. "They looked pretty comfortable."

Jareth smiled. "This will be fun. Come watch." He stood, and strode over to the bathroom door, and threw it open. Sarah flinched at the sound of it slamming into the wall.

Most of the goblins didn't move. A couple of them had ears that twitched, or elbows that jerked, but only two opened their eyes. Naks immediately went back to sleep, and Getty let out a sleepy "Hiii_(—yawn—)_iii, King."

Sarah leaned up, and said in a stage whisper, "I don't think that threatening to bog them will do much good, Jareth."

He grinned at her. "Go and stand a few feet from the stairs."

She looked at him uncertainly. "Jareth?"

"Trust me, it will be funny."

Jareth watched Sarah turned and walk down the hallway, stopping when she could see the first few stairs. Before she could turn around, Jareth summoned a crystal, and dropped it with an unsubtle thunk on a goblin's head; the crystal bounced upwards, and the goblin disappeared. Watching her out of the corner of his eye, Jareth began laughing when he saw her jump as the goblin that appeared over the stairs, which bounced down them exaggeratedly and comically.

In the meantime, the crystal would bounce on the head of a goblin, and every contact resulted in a tiny popping sound, then a subsequent tumble down the flight of stairs.

At first, Sarah was shocked and horrified (even if she was fighting down some completely inappropriate giggles). "Jareth, stop, you'll hurt…"

Jazz was the first goblin to land at the bottom of the stairs, and all he did was blink sleepily, pick himself up, and wander, eyes half closed, towards the hall closet. He was closely followed by his compatriots. Sarah ran down the stairs in a brief interval between flying bodies, and proceeded to pull all of their coats and shoes out of the closet, just in time to avoid the crush of bodies. By this time, Sarah had stopped trying to stifle her laughter… these goblins were obviously a hardy bunch… appearing over a bunch of stairs didn't seem to phase them, even half asleep.

* * *

Jareth had strolled down the stairs, and stood next to her and the pile of coats as they watched the last two goblins sleepily climb up their friends to reach the last (single) open spot at the top of the crush, using handy horns and prominent noses as hand and foot-holds. Jareth and Sarah shared an amused glance, and then Jareth closed the closet door, while Sarah shoved the coats to the far side of the foyer.

They looked up to find Karen and Toby watching them, goggle-eyed. Sarah crossed her eyes at them. "Just don't ask." Karen and Toby looked at each other, and moved back into the kitchen.

Sarah moved to the couch, and sat down together. "So, what's up, Doc?"

Jareth looked confused. "What?"

"Aboveground thing." Sarah waved her hand dismissively. "What are you going to do now?"

"Do?" Jareth smirked at her, eyes glinting mischievously.

Sarah casually slapped his arm. "Seriously, I know your twisty way of thinking; I've been on the receiving end of it. Before we were interrupted, you said something about wanting my assistance with your politicking?"

Jareth stretched a bit, thinking. Sarah watched unobtrusively, appreciatively. It wasn't that she hadn't welcomed the way he had looked in a casual pair of denims, but there was something about the Goblin King in those lovely, draping slacks that was hard to beat. Unless he was wearing something like… say, lycra.

"Ah, yes." He sat down next to her, not as close as he had before. "Actually, I'm still trying to work through some ideas. How about we let that idea settle for awhile." He yawned widely.

"I'm sorry; you've had a long day."

Jareth grinned at her, and stretched out his long legs. "Yes, I've been unsuccessfully deposed, kidnapped, drowned, and rescued by a subject that I happen to loathe. But I've also been rescued by a beautiful woman that I haven't really stopped thinking about in the last ten years."

Sarah swallowed. "Oh," she said a bit breathlessly. She mentally rolled her eyes at her blasé comment. _How about something coherent_? "Could be worse. Could be raining." She smiled.

Jareth turned his hand gracefully, and threw a crystal up at the ceiling. It popped like a soap bubble, and rain started falling on the two of them… although they didn't get wet. Sarah started laughing.

She interrupted herself mid-yawn, and Jareth took pity on her. "Sarah, it has been quite a day. I think that I will bid you goodnight."

Sarah didn't notice the way that the rain had dissipated. "Alright." _Damn it, that breathy tone was back! Why couldn't she just…_

Her thoughts melted away when Jareth moved his lips over hers.

"Goodnight, Sarah," he murmured in that chocolate voice. He left her on the couch, making his way to the kitchen to say his good nights and thank-you's to Karen and Toby. Sarah watched him walk up the stairs (oh, Lord love those pants!), before she flopped back on the couch. Sarah heard Toby washing the dishes, but didn't open her eyes when she heard Karen's heels on the hardwood floor. She waited until she felt the couch dipping under Karen's weight.

"Well, I can see why you were so uninterested in any of the men you've been out with. Jareth is… unforgettable."

Sarah raised her head from where it had been resting on the back of the couch. "No kidding."

"What are you going to do while he's here?"

Sarah frowned. "I hadn't really thought about it. I don't suppose he'll have much to do while I'm at work."

"You could call in for a few days."

Sarah grimaced. "I suppose."

Karen laughed. "As if you didn't have months of vacation stored up for you anyways."

"Yes, but it's not like I can take it without notice."

Karen rolled her eyes. "Oh please, it's not like they wouldn't be able to get some help from a temp agency or anything. Go in and talk to your boss in the morning."

"And tell her what? That I've got an other-worldly royal guest and that I need to take time off to entertain him?"

"Well, leave off the other-worldly bit, and I think that she'd understand."

Sarah threw up her hands. "I'll… I'll think about that tomorrow! I'm going to bed!"

Karen kissed her goodnight, and Sarah trudged up the stairs to her room. She paused, hearing the water running in the master bath, and contemplated all the delicious things that Jareth could be up to right now. _No, I'm going to bed. Alone. I don't care how wonderful he is, I've only been around him for one day. Now straighten up! Get your mind off of your infatuation, and start thinking like the smart woman that you are! _

Sarah proceeded to do just that as she threw on her nightclothes and crawled into bed. How could she possibly help Jareth with his politicking? Well, the man is without heir… if he shows up with an unwedded woman (with whom he has a history), well, the cat would certainly be among the pigeons.

The politics faded from her mind, and she found herself reliving the kiss that they'd shared that afternoon, and the few brief pecks that she'd given him after it. Sarah knew that she could be impulsive when she was intrigued and, well—infatuated. It hadn't happened in a long time, not since before her father had gotten sick, but she'd been to college, she'd dated. Sarah was picky, and none of her relationships had lasted, but this… this potential was kind of frightening… but exhilarating. _Intense_.

She couldn't say that her feelings were sudden… she had thought of the Goblin King many, many times since her sojourn in the Labyrinth—she had gone from feeling fear, and an unrecognized lust, to a sad understanding that he wasn't at all what she had thought… she thought. Although the lust hadn't disappeared, by any means.

He had been so charming today, and she had to admit, she'd never been drawn to anyone as strongly as she had been drawn to him. Her past relationships were… brief, passionate, but lacking, generally ending very quickly. This had the same potential, but where other relationships had been… well, pleasurable, Jareth made her feel like she was playing with fire. They had both been on their best behavior, but she knew, from their kisses, and their history, that things could become—explosive—very quickly.

Jareth was attracted to her, and she was certainly attracted to him. But how could this possibly play out?

* * *

A/N-- So, there were a couple of movie quotes in there. Anyone spot them? Completely unrelated to "Labyrinth," but from excellent movies (dare I say Classics?) in their own right. I hope that this mental soliloquey of Sarah's went a way towards clearing up her attitudes about love and so on, especially in light of the comments that I'd made about her dating, and then her date with Brian, in chapter 1.

Now, please review! There are never too many reviews, and I love hearing your thoughts about how the story is going! Tell me, please, what you think!


	10. Chapter 10

Sarah awoke to the obnoxious beeping of her alarm clock. If there were any one thing on this planet that she really and truly hated with a violent, personal passion, it was that nasty beeping that she willing subjected herself to five days out of seven. She whapped the clock with her hand, and lay back against her pillow, rubbing her eyes.

_Okay, what do I have to do today?_ She sat up, pushing away the covers. _Ugh. Alright. I need to call into work. I need to make breakfast. Jareth. Ummm… No, no more thinking. Coffee. Coffeeeeeee…_

Sarah shuffled herself into the shower, and then into a pair of jeans and a tee shirt. Naturally, she didn't notice that the pair of jeans that she'd chosen were a pair that fit her _quite_ well.

She walked down into the kitchen, still foggy, only to find a wide-awake Jareth sitting at the kitchen table, his ankles crossed and a cup of coffee in hand, speaking with two (hmmm…pointy ears, pointy teeth, greenish skin—soooo) elves.

Jareth held up a hand to halt the discussion, and smiled at her.

"Sarah, may I introduce Lords Willamar and Joharran."

Sarah had a wild moment of wondering what the proper etiquette was—should she curtsy, or bow, or what? The moment passed with the smell of coffee, and instead she smiled, and nodded to them.

"Gentlemen. Welcome to my home." They nodded politely in response, murmuring courteous nothings. Sarah poured herself a fresh cup, and took a bracing sip of the dark, rich brew. She smiled at the three—men—at the table.

"Please, let me know if there's anything I can get for you." She gestured around the kitchen. "I'll just be in the living room, let me know if you need anything." She heard them resume their conversation quietly as she left the kitchen, and she sat down on the couch with relief, closing her eyes, and drinking more coffee.

_Okay, what did I need to do? Call the boss. Okay_. Sarah picked up the phone, yanking impatiently on the cord. She closed her eyes and sipped at her coffee as she tried to think of how she was going to tell her boss that she couldn't come in for a week… and sorry, no notice! At least she didn't have any grants or paperwork that was time sensitive.

The phone call went as expected—very little screaming, but it wasn't like Sarah didn't have a ton of vacation coming to her. Sarah was really more of an auxiliary than an integral member of the office team, and everyone knew it.

Sarah finished the rest of her coffee, letting her mind and her eyes rest while the caffeine kicked in. About halfway through her cup, the voices in the kitchen vanished, and Sarah heard only silence throughout the house. Sarah was an early bird (and apparently, so was Jareth), but her family was not—both Karen and Toby slept as late as they could before rushing through their morning routine and hurrying out the door.

She was just getting to the bottom of her very large mug when Jareth strolled out of the kitchen, and sat down in the easy chair across from her.

"I hope you don't mind that I invited some of my subjects up for a chat, this morning. I wanted to get some work out of the way before anyone woke up. I didn't expect you so early." He glanced out of the front window at the sun that was peeking over the horizon.

Sarah chuckled, still sounding a bit sleepy, despite the coffee. She yawned. "I like getting up early—it means that I have more time to wake up, and as you can see, I really need that." She yawned again, and smiled at Jareth has he laughed at her. "And I don't mind you having people over." She shrugged. "I know how it goes when you're a king."

"Oh, you do?" Jareth raised his eyebrows. Sarah felt her stomach flop. _Now that brought back some memories! _Sarah mentally started to fan herself. _Play it cool. Literally. Down, girl!_

"Well, not really, no." Sarah rolled her eyes. _See, I can play it cool._ "But I can well imagine, and apparently, I'm not too far off, if you've got your generals in and out of here at the crack of dawn."

Sarah drained the last few drops from her mug, and shifted her weight, preparing to stand up.

"Please, allow me." Jareth rolled his wrist, and lightly dropped a crystal, as softly as a soap bubble, into her coffee cup. As it touched the inside of the cup, it dissolved into hot, dark coffee. "Would you like any cream or sugar?"

She looked down at her cup, bringing it back to cradle it in her palms. She looked down into the steaming coffee, the slanted her eyes over at Jareth. She looked back down at the coffee.

"No, thank you." She took a sip. "Delicious." She smiled at him.

* * *

Jareth smiled back at her smugly, enjoying how impressed she was with his little trick.

"Thank you."

"No, thank you," she replied. Her eyes were finally clear, and she no longer looked half-awake. That had been an unexpected circumstance—having Sarah, eyes heavy lidded, her dark hair still damp from washing, those _lovely_ clinging denims, walk into his conference, easy in his presence, and in welcoming his people into to her home—well, as much as he trusted Willamar and Joharran to act properly in his stead, they were still soldiers (generals were all still soldiers at heart), and soldiers gossiped worse than old women. He knew that the rumors would be flying on his return. He grinned, showing the tips of his sharp teeth. It was just as well.

She looked a little curious about the thoughts that were making him smile so broadly, and he began to speak in an attempt to distract her.

"So, what are we going to do with ourselves for the day?"

It worked.

"I don't know. What would you like to do?"

"Spend some time with you." He was leaving the ball firmly in her court.

"Hmmm…" her voice trailed off. "Why don't we go find something to eat, and maybe we could spend the morning at the museum? They're having an exhibit of Degas' paintings there this month."

"Shall we wait for Toby and Karen to join us?"

Sarah lifted her eyes from her toes, looking a little surprised. "No, Toby has school, and Karen will be going to work today."

"So it will be just the two of us," Jareth clarified, his eyes dancing.

"Well… yes." A light blush covered her cheeks.

"Do you have work, Sarah, later in the day?" Her blush increased.

"No, I called into work this morning; I won't need to go in for another week."

"Thank you very much," he said, gently. "I appreciate it."

Sarah smiled at him, the blush receding. "You're welcome."

Jareth leaned back in his chair, quietly watching Sarah finish her second cup of coffee. He had spent all of last night thinking about how to get Sarah to agree to go back to the Underground with him when his time here was ended. He knew that she would love him—he knew that he would love her. All he needed to do was convince her that he would be a very safe, low-risk prospect—and his impetuous, passionate Sarah shouldn't be too hard to convince. God, he hoped not.

* * *

A/N— Sorry about the long wait for this one, guys. I'm going to try and get back in gear. I really loved my _Tin Man_ fic, and it derailed my Laby-muse completely, she was incredibly pissed off with me, and especially with dear Wyatt. So I've been adding one or two sentences to this at a time for the last month(s) or so, and finally, I kicked her back into gear by watching _Labyrinth_ before I fell asleep last night. It worked—now I'm listening to "Moonage Daydream," drinking a small cauldron of black tea (I borrowed that awesome phrase from an HG/SS fic, I don't remember which one) and my Laby-muse is dancing around the inside of my skull, using my eyes as disco balls. We're both psyched to be back in gear!

Also, I totally snaffled the names Willamar and Joharran from Jean M. Auel's _The Shelters of Stone_. They sounded foreign enough, and familiar enough to work for Labyrinth courtiers (who are led, after all, by a Jareth), without being cutesy like Hoggle or Ludo or Mops.

This was a bit of a transition chapter—plans will go awry, passions will be flamed, and there will be a decided dearth of meaningful conversation in the next chapter. Which won't take nearly as long to post.

Cheers!


	11. Chapter 11

Sarah grinned up at Jareth as she heard his stomach rumble. "Hungry?" She cocked an eyebrow up at him in unconscious mimicry. He shrugged his broad shoulders, and she deliberately did _not_ stare. He had the most delicious body language that she'd ever seen. She glanced away, finishing her cup of coffee in three quick, hot swallows.

She stood up, and held her hand out to him to help him off of the couch. The leather of his gloves against her fingers was warm and smooth, and he stood too closely to her when he was on his feet, so that their chests were almost touching, and their breath mingled for a brief second.

Sarah stepped back, her eyes bright. "What would you like for breakfast?"

Jareth gave her a mischievous look, his eyes hot.

Sarah sighed. "Jareth, what am I going to do with you?" She looked at him helplessly.

Jareth raised his eyebrows. "Sarah, precious—you left the door wide open with that one."

She frowned at him. "No, really, what _am_ I going to do with you this week? Is there anything you'd like to see? Anything that you want to do?"

Jareth eyes were calculating as he studied her. "What would you like to do this week?"

Sarah shrugged. She gestured him to follow her, and she turned and walked into the kitchen. He sat back down at the table while she began to prepare breakfast. Her thoughts were busy as her hands scrambled eggs, made toast, and prepared their plates. Jareth, sensing her mood, was quiet as well.

Sarah had just sat down at the table next to Jareth when Karen ran through the kitchen. Toby ate his breakfast at school, and Karen grabbed only a cup of coffee on their way out the door. Karen gave them a bright, sparkling "Good morning!" before calling out to Toby to hurry up so that they could get this show on the road. The dynamic duo flew out of the house in a hurry, leaving Sarah and Jareth sitting quietly in the kitchen, working through their eggs and toast.

After a few more minutes of quiet, contented eating, Jareth spoke. "I believe that you said something about the museum?" He reached out with a gloved hand, and brushed a stray strand of hair away from her cheek, tucking it behind her ear. It felt unbelievably intimate.

"Yes." Sarah felt her stomach swoop. "Let's just toss these dishes into the dishwasher, and we can grab our jackets and hit the road."

* * *

Jareth tried to hide his discomfort behind a façade of… well, initially, it had been disdain, but it took less than a second of reflection to realize that sitting in Sarah's vehicle looking superciliously down his nose at everything would not be a tactic likely to win her regard. So, instead, he was hiding his discomfort behind a poker face. He didn't think that he was entirely successful.

In a too-casual voice, Sarah asked him "Do you have anything like cars down in the Underground?"

"Do you remember seeing anything of the sort when you were there?" he shot back snippily. He saw her brief look at his hands, which were rather white-knuckled. He consciously relaxed them.

Sarah "No, I don't remember there being much technology at all, there." She pulled into the parking lot of a large stone building, few other cars in the lot. His hands were shaking slightly as he tried to disengage the seat belt. All that had kept other cars from smashing into them was a mutual understanding that they stay on the proper side of the lines painted on the ground. Dear God.

Sarah opened his car door, and leaned in to look at him. He had a wonderful view of her compassionate, too understanding face, and an even better view of her décolletage. She reached across him, brushing her body across his, ghosting her breath along his jaw, as she unbuckled the belt. Frustrated with himself for his fear, and with her, for her understanding, he took her face in his hands, and kissed her, hard, trying to convey his anger, aggravation, and gratitude.

He expected her to be suprised, but she surprised him. She knelt down with her knees on the side of the car, and leaned into him, putting her hands in his hair. Their lips were so tight against each other that they could hardly move, and Sarah's tongue reached into his mouth, sliding against his in a wonderful slippery, sensuous slipping motion.

He relaxed his hold on her, and tilted his head, building friction between their lips, their tongues. He kissed her until she ran out of breath, and had to lean back from him. He stared at her, entranced by her swollen lips and reddened cheeks. She smiled at him, her eyes were emeralds, and she rubbed her fingers across his cheekbone, down his jaw.

"Coming?" she asked, and playfully moved away from the car.

Jareth growled a very, _very_ positive affirmative as he got up from his seat.

* * *

A/N-- Look at me, I updated! So, it turns out that I am having the damnedest time writing smut. It's so much fun to read, who knew that it could be so hard? (Heh-- hard. Yes, my sense of humor can be rather low.) Anyhow-- working on the smut, working on the plot. Enjoy the update, let me know how much you liked it! Cheers!


	12. Chapter 12

Jareth stood in front of a painting of a valley, surrounded by huge, towering crags, tiny people shuffled off into a corner, insignificant in the face of the majestic mountains. Sarah came up behind him, slipping her fingers into his hand, and he suppressed a shiver that wanted to streak up his arm and down his spine.

"That reminds me very much of the Underground," he said to her, gesturing at the Bierstadt with his free hand.

"I didn't see anything like that when I was there," she replied. "How big is the Labyrinth?"

"The Labyrinth is only a small part of the Underground—although a very crucial part of it. It is one of the gates between the Underground and Aboveground. One of the more difficult gates to trespass." He smiled, a trifle grimly. "That's one of the reasons that a change in leadership would be so beneficial to some parties currently residing in my court. It would give them the ability to change the nature of the… the traffic that occurs between them." His fingers began to trace shapes on the back of her hand. He looked down at her. "I allow very few mortals into the Underground—and often, those who do stay do not remain mortal."

"How do they become immortal? If they don't stay mortal?"

Jareth restrained his glee._ Is she interested in what would happen to her if she came to stay in the Underground?_ His hope ran unchecked.

"It depends on the circumstances of their arrival, and if they leave. Are you familiar with the Celtic tales of Oisín?"

"Yes," Sarah replied cautiously. "Reasonably familiar."

"That's more than adequate," he squeezed her hand and smiled. "If someone brings you to the Underground, or if you stumble into it on your own, than you can live there forever, for the most part, always youthful. The trouble comes only in leaving."

Sarah looked thoughtful. "I see." They moved farther down the gallery, walking past other beautiful paintings created by the Romantics. "And how do most mortals come to the Underground?"

Jareth released her hand, and put his arm around her slim waist, hugging her to his side. "Actually, most mortals are brought to the Underground, either to run challenges, as you and I did, or they are brought in marriage."

"Marriage?" Sarah's voice squeaked ever so slightly. _Here it was-- show time._

"Yes." He backed her into a small room, a single sculpture standing in the middle of it. She leaned back against the wall, and he stood close to her, running one hand down her arm, and using the other to brace himself on the wall—this too, was hauntingly, achingly familiar of his time with her on her run. "Marriage." He breathed the word into her dark hair. "The binding of two souls into one." He let his breath stir against her cheek. "Love, companionship, desire." He traced the tip of his nose down her brow, and then let his lips hover just above hers. He moved both of his hands to span her waist, and he pulled her against him sharply, letting his control, hard won on the walk from the car, dissipate as he felt her body meld to his.

"Bit sudden, isn't it?" Sarah mumbled, her green eyes sharp with desire, and with a little fear. Afraid of me? No—of herself.

"Is it?" He kissed her, commandingly, and he exulted as she undulated against him, her arms encircling his neck, and one of her legs going around his waist. She moaned into his mouth at the more intimate contact. "Ten years, Sarah, and I've never met anyone your equal. Not a single woman with your fire, your passion, or your character." He kept his voice low and hypnotic. He was going to marry this woman, and he would pull out every seductive weapon in his arsenal to accomplish it. He felt her gasp against his throat, and he ducked his head farther down, and began to nibble on her neck. He suckled her earlobe into his mouth, and laved the sensitive skin with the softness of his tongue.

* * *

Sarah felt her knees weaken. _As if there wasn't enough of a height disparity to begin with_. She fought to focus her mind, but not very hard. Jareth was incredible. Incredible. He felt wonderful, he sounded wonderful. _Love, companionship, desire_.

Muzzy thought floated from her brain to her mouth, bypassing her internal filter completely. "Jareth. Love? You love me?" The second the words were spoken, she cringed. She closed her eyes in mortification, but opened them again, startled when Jareth pulled her hard against him, kissing her with a fire that drowned out her embarrassment, her uncertainty, and her distrust of her own emotions.

"Never doubt it, Precious Thing." He began to croon in her ear, a song that she remembered dancing to with him, a memory as dreamlike as this reality. "_There's such a fooled heart beating so fast in search of new dreams, a love that will last within your heart. I'll place the moon within your heart._"

Her heart contracted sharply at the memory that his song brought—and at the knowledge that Jareth made his wishes to the Labyrinth by song. "Jareth." Her voice was weak. "Are you wishing, Jareth?"

His eyes caught hers, sharp as a predator's, tender, loving, eager, raw. "Oh yes, Sarah. I'm wishing with every fiber of my being that you will choose me. Love me, marry me, become my Queen." He rocked against her, and her eyes nearly rolled back in her head at the sensations. She closed them instead, concentrating everything on his question, on his offer, and felt her trembling breathing steady. This felt so familiary-- a confrontation, and a decision. With an outcome just as important.

She tilted her head back, and looked up at him, clear-eyed. "Fear me, love me, do as I say, and I will be your slave?"

"You will _never_ love another as you love me, Sarah." He was unequivocal. Implacable. And utterly, totally correct. She knew.

"Yes."


	13. Chapter 13

'Yes' was Jareth's favorite new word. It had always ranked in the top five—perhaps in the top two. But it had thoroughly sewn up first place. He felt his blood race as he pressed his Sarah up against the wall. He had the muzziest feeling in the back of his mind that this wasn't the time and place to pledge their love in the fashion that he wanted, but the voice was quite faint. Besides, he was the King. What good was it being King if he couldn't snog his Queen when and where he wanted?

Not to be discounted was his Queen's flatteringly eager cooperation. Sarah threaded her fingers through his fair hair, and tilted herself even farther into their cinch. Jareth felt his eyes cross—he didn't know that a human tongue could do that!

He felt the magic of the Labyrinth moving through him in a way that it hadn't ten years past. Instead of damming up inside of his chest, choking off his song, it was swirling through his veins, and he could feel it wrapping around Sarah, binding them. He could feel the strands thrumming between them, their hearts, their minds. She broke their kiss to arch her head back, and he took full advantage by paying homage to the glory of her throat and collarbones, the pale, smooth warm marble of her skin, humming against her softly. She shuddered, at the sensation of his lips or his voice, he wasn't sure.

He moved back up to her lips, claiming them, parting them, conquering. She moved up against him, and his hands slid up the graceful curve of her spine. He smoothed them back down, lingering over the flare of her hips, ghosting down towards—

They both paused at the small crash, and briefly looked at each other, before spotting the clump of goblins who were all standing a few feet away, looking gobsmacked. The crash had come from one of them toppling over.

One of them stepped forward hesitantly. "Uh, you wants us to takes the Lady down Underground, King?"

Sarah leaned her forehead on Jareth's shoulder, not sure whether she wanted to laugh or cry. Well, not cry. Certainly not cry. Not when Jareth's body was so firm and warm and straight, and his hands were strong against the width of her waist. She let out a brief chuckle, relieved (in spite of the strong lust still coursing through her) that she and Jareth hadn't consummated their relationship right then and there, up against the wall of the museum.

She looked up at Jareth as she heard the tentative query. Jareth's face was relatively expressionless, except for the slight quivering at the corners of his mouth. His mismatched eyes met hers, and he smiled slyly at her, teasing. She wasn't worried, and winked up at him, before laying her head back on his shoulder.

She loved the way his voice reverberated through his chest as he spoke.

"No, thank you. I'll be taking care of this myself."

"Right." The goblins shuffled their feet, looking down at the floor, up at the ceiling, a few brave ones actually staring at the pair of humans still embracing. "Anything else, Majesty?"

Jareth stepped back, and keeping one of his arms firmly around her waist, waved the other at them. "No, no, now off with you."

"Right," the goblin repeated. They started to retreat.

"Wait," Sarah said in her 'Mom' voice, the one that she used for herding goblins, cats, and small brothers. "Not in the museum. Too many breakables." The goblins nodded, and began to crowd around the windows, standing on each others' shoulders to get out.

"Good thinking," Jareth said to her. He looked at her a moment longer, letting his eyes move down from hers, to her lips, and back up to her eyes.

Sarah began to draw him away, back into the museum proper. If she'd wanted to do nothing but make out (well, she _did_, but, well, ohhhh—), then she could have stayed home and made good use of her couch.

Besides, she'd just started—continued?—a very definitive relationship with her slippery, tricky, seductive Goblin King. She should probably pin down some details. Give Jareth an inch, and he'd take a mile (what if she gave him a few feet? Oh la la!), and the Devil's in the details. She knew her thoughts weren't quite as crisp as they usually were, but she was in a forgiving mood. Her neural pathways had just been melted, it wasn't fair to expect them to be in full working order right away.

Perhaps she should give her mind a chance to recover before she pinned down those details.

* * *

Jareth kept his arm possessively around Sarah as they strolled through the rest of the museum. He kept up a steady stream of seductive and amusing comments as they walked through the rest of the exhibits. Although he found himself fascinated by much of the mortal artwork, his physical awareness of the woman that he clasped to his side would not fade. He had a lot of planning to do. He had a rebellion to put down, and a wife to claim.

His mind began to plot. He needed to make Sarah want to wrap up her mortal life, and come to the Underground—it might be easier if she were to bring her family with her, which was not problematic. Toby could take a place as a Duke in his court, especially since he soon be short a Duke—and Zebulon, nothing to do but kill him, he couldn't leave such a potentially lethal enemy around his new family. Zebulon might not have the stones to kill him, but women and children? The coward would certainly manage that. Toby would be educated into politics and government, and Karen could do whatever she pleased. Hostess, perhaps, since he had a strong feeling that Sarah wouldn't be much interested.

"So what about the goblins?" Sarah spoke up suddenly. Apparently she too had not been letting her brain rest idle. He felt smug remembering the dazed look on her face at the conclusion of their pledge, and was impressed with her recovery. He buffed his nails on his shirt.

"What about them?"

"Why did they show up just now?" Sarah had a darling crease between her eyebrows when she frowned slightly.

"Well, typically when someone is making a wish, the goblins are on hand to fulfill it. When the wish isn't something that they can handle, they get a bit confused." Jareth reconsidered. "To be fair, they're often confused even when they know what they're supposed to be doing, but they manage to act with more certainty."

"I see." Sarah looked thoughtful. "So if the goblins weren't the agents of your wishing, then who was?"

This beautiful woman was too brilliant by half. "The Labyrinth itself. Did you notice any sensations during our… pledge?"

"Pledge?" Sarah was questioning.

Jareth shrugged. "Best word for it. I asked, I wished, you said 'yes.' It was a pledge. Did you feel anything?" He leered at Sarah's faint blush.

She tossed her hair. "As a matter of fact, I did notice something. A feeling, well—" Sarah's fingers skimmed several places on her body. "Actually, now that I think about it, I felt something in my chakras. Especially 'here.'" She touched her heart.

"Chakras? I'm not familiar with that term." Jareth was puzzled.

"They're centers of energy in the body. There are branches of medicine and mysticism that believe that you can adjust your health by messing around with them, but I never got that deeply into it. My body feels fine. If it's not broke, don't fix it."

Jareth filed that away for future reference, both the information and the sentiment. "In any case, what you felt was the Labyrinth binding us together."

Sarah's eyes widened. "What exactly does that entail?"

"Well, there are a few benefits…"


	14. Chapter 14

A/N- No plot to speak of, folks, sorry! This is more of a getting-my-head-back-into-the-game kind of update. Apologies for the shortness-plot is coming, it will be here, I know where I'm going-I just need to figure out how to get there... Finishing this is my summer goal, so look forward to some more frequent updates! (*seriously hope that isn't just wishful thinking*)

* * *

Sarah tilted her head to one side. What had she just been thinking about inches and miles? And here's a kiss that's become a pledge. She wrinkled her nose. _Yep—that sounds about right_. She kept her arm around Jareth's hips, and hooked her thumb into his belt loop.

"Benefits?"

"Yes—benefits. For example, no one in the Underground would be able to regard me as single, or available—you've very clearly stamped 'Property of Sarah Williams' all over me, Precious."

_Oh, he is good_. Didn't make any mention of whether or not anyone would consider her to be his. Which she was sure that they would—but wasn't he a cunning man for stating it the way that he did?

"Anything else? Anything mystical, magical, metaphysical?" She bumped his hip with hers playfully, and was amused at the slight befuddlement that tinged his expression of contentment. She became a little worried when it was replaced with mischievousness, however.

"You'll find that, emotionally speaking, we've become very intimately connected. Whenever either of us chooses, we can share the emotions that we are feeling at the moment; this works especially well with feelings like pleasure," he ran his fingers down her arm, drawing goose bumps in his wake, "and satisfaction…" he hissed the sibilants in her ear, and she shivered. "In several years time, with diligent practice, we may be able to speak mind to mind."

Sarah's eyes widened. "Yeesh, that's intense! That's really cool! Telepathic, wow." She tried to come up with more, but the idea itself was rather staggering… and Jareth's lean body was rather distracting. She wondered if she really wanted any more information—maybe she should just shut the brain back down, and revel in that hearts-bunnies-true-love-roses-rainbows feeling. She might get dragged down the road more than a few miles—but it'd be quite a ride!

* * *

Jareth, who had no more experience in sharing his yo-yoing emotions than did Sarah, did have the theory behind him, at least, and he cautiously focused, and opened up the connection that he felt had been forged between them. Sarah's emotions careened into him, wild happiness, lust, and a few threads of worry, of caution, weaving into the pulsing bond.

He kissed the top of Sarah's head, sniffing in the light floral scent of her shampoo.

"Don't worry, Precious. Everything's going to be alright. Better than alright." He squeezed her close.

She slanted a glance up at him, and raised her eyebrows.

"I'm deliberately not thinking about the future, politics, the Underground, or my family right now." She sighed, not a tired sigh, or a wistful sigh… just a short exhalation. "Not that that doesn't deserve quite a lot of thought and deliberation. But just being with you right now is enough for me."

"Of course it is," Jareth said arrogantly. He thought about backpedaling when he saw her roll her eyes, but decided instead to make her laugh. He used the arm about her waist to twist her around, and dipped her dramatically low. "I'm quite fun to be around."

Sarah laughed delightedly.


End file.
